Chapter 507 Zhao Duan presents treasures
Chapter 507 Zhao Duan presents treasures (New January, please give me a guaranteed monthly ticket)
Triumph!
Inside the imperial study, the emperor and his ministers who were confronting each other were both stunned for a moment. Xu Zhenguan's beautiful face, which usually remained dignified and solemn in front of court officials, also couldn't help but reveal an expression of astonishment.
Not only her, Mo Chou who was standing next to her was also confused. She subconsciously turned her head to look at the empress. She was a little doubtful and not sure whether this drama was true or not.
The old Minister of War and other military officers kneeling on the ground showed expressions of astonishment. They looked at each other and could read the shock in each other's eyes.
The Qingzhou rebels were defeated? Prince Heng was arrested?
Zhao Duan returns triumphantly?
and many more……
Really not a hallucination?
The old minister of the Ministry of War suddenly twisted the thigh of the deputy privy envoy next to him with his hand. The latter almost screamed, but he held it back and stared at the old minister with confused eyes:
"what you do?!"
"It's not a dream..." the Minister of War murmured, with an even more shocked expression on his face.
All in all, it’s only been a few days since Zhao Duan led his troops to set out?
Even with a forced march, including the time wasted on the round trip, he only stayed at the front line for one day at most!
Do not!
Maybe less than a day!
Is this a triumph?
How could a war be fought like this in this world? Was this the Qingzhou rebel who defeated the Five Army Battalions and forced them to seek help from the capital?
Instead of just going out for a stroll and catching a few bandits to claim credit?
"Could it be that Lord Zhao has arrived at the front line, and Commander Yuan of the Fifth Military Camp has already defeated the Qingzhou Army?" A kneeling military official cautiously made a guess.
Although it was a bit outrageous that Yuan Feng, who had sent a letter for help a few days ago, suddenly won, but considering the unpredictable battlefield on the front line, any unexpected situation could happen.
It is not impossible for the Fifth Army Camp to find a way or seize some opportunity to defeat the bandits.
at least……
Compared to the fact that Zhao Duan, an amateur, led the troops and wiped out the rebels in just half a day, it seems more reasonable.
"Mo Chou," the empress suddenly stood up and said excitedly:
"Follow me immediately to welcome the victorious soldiers of my court. Ask Eunuch Hai and the others to go with you."
"And you," Xu Zhenguan glanced at the military officials kneeling on the ground, "Let's go and take a look together."
……
……
The East City Gate of Beijing is wide open today.
Under the watchful eyes of the guards at the city gate and the people inside and outside the city, an elite team belonging to the Shenji Camp marched into the city in a mighty manner.
Zhao Duan sat astride the leading warhorse, wearing armor and occupying the C position.
Slightly behind him were Shi Meng, Chen Gui, Tang Ping and others.
As for the generals of the Five Military Camps, only one general came back this time - Yuan Feng had suffered a defeat, so naturally he didn't have the nerve to come back with the Shenji Camp for a "triumph".
He took the initiative to stay at the front line and was responsible for searching for the Qingzhou rebels who had fled in that battle. He was also responsible for escorting the large army to atone for his sins.
Therefore, this team only included the generals of the Shenji Camp and a few carriages guarded by soldiers at the back. There were no firearms inside, but people such as Prince Heng, Crown Prince Xu Zudi, Wei Xianzong, and Xiao Dong'er.
"Sir, in just a few days, we have returned victorious. This kind of military achievement can be called the 'military saint of the world'. When those people in the court learn about this, I wonder what expressions they will have on their faces, especially those old guys in the Privy Council and the Ministry of War. Haha, Old Shi, I can already imagine what they look like."
Shi Meng grinned, looking honest, but his eyes showed shrewdness.
Zhao Duan was riding on the horse, pulling the reins, and looked at him with a smile:
"General Shi, you are making up stories about your colleagues in the Privy Council. Aren't you afraid that word will get out and make them unhappy?"
Shi Meng smiled and said:
"Your Excellency, I am a rough man and have never been well received by those people. In the past, some of the affairs in our camp were controlled by them and I suffered a lot. If it was Envoy Xue, I would respect him, but as for the others, hehe."
Zhao Duan smiled, realizing that Shi Meng's statement was a token of his loyalty.
Shi Meng was promoted by Xue Shence in those days. Both civil officials and military generals valued his support very much.
Therefore, even if Shi Meng wanted to please him, he would not target Xue Shence, but he could still step on other players.
"Who said General Shi is a rough man? I'm the first one to deny it, but when I meet Privy Envoy Xue in the future, I will convey your words to him." Zhao Duan joked with a smile.
Shi Meng pretended to smile foolishly.
On the side, Tang Ping enjoyed the attention of the people on both sides, but still said with some disappointment:
"Sir, why didn't we inform the court in advance of our great victory? That way they could prepare. It's not interesting to come back so suddenly."
The young master was a little envious of the army's triumphant return, with the people of the whole city lining the streets to welcome them, with gongs and drums beating and firecrackers blasting.
Still young, not stable enough... Zhao Duan saw through his thoughts and said with emotion:
"You feel very proud? But don't you think about how many colleagues we have slapped in the face this time? I have achieved such a result in my first battle. Will those military officials in the court be happy? I am afraid they are dissatisfied and jealous.
Apart from anything else, we destroyed a rebel army so easily. What are we going to do next, those military officers?
No matter how well they do, it will be difficult for them to catch up with us. If they do worse, they will be compared with us... If, as you said, they want to have a grand ceremony, won't that make them even more embarrassed?
As an official in the court, you should leave some room for action. You being too outstanding may not be a good thing... If the current situation is not bad, and the court is in urgent need of a big victory to deter the rebels in the world, I would rather take you to fight, fish on the front line, travel around for a month, and then come back."
Zhao Duan spoke calmly, with a sigh in his tone.
All these experiences were gained when he entered the official career in his previous life, and he made many mistakes at every step.
Tang Ping listened in a daze, as if thinking about something.
Chief Technical Officer Chen Gui remained silent.
Shi Meng patted the young master's shoulder earnestly and said:
"Learn more and watch more. The adults are teaching you real skills. If you want to become a general, it is not enough to rely on military achievements alone."
Tang Ping nodded and said seriously: "I remember it."
The corners of Zhao Duan's mouth curled up slightly. Although this battle was short, everyone gained growth.
……
As they were talking, the team walked along Suzaku Avenue and arrived at the main gate of the imperial city.
From afar, I saw a large group of people standing and waiting at the city gate. Leading them was a man in white clothes, with black hair and a peerless appearance.
Zhao Duan was stunned and subconsciously urged his horse to go faster. When the team stopped some distance away from the empress, he dismounted and led a group of generals to walk quickly forward.
The king and his minister looked at each other.
Zhao Duan clasped his fists and said loudly:
"Your Majesty, the Shenji Battalion lived up to your Majesty's trust. We defeated the rebels and captured the rebels alive. We returned with a great victory. I have come to report to you!"
Behind him, Shi Meng and others said in unison: "Your subjects, report back!"
Later, the soldiers shouted in unison: "Shenji Battalion, report back!"
The sound is as loud as thunder!
Xu Zhenguan stood in the wind, his eyes fixed on Zhao Duan's face, staring quietly, with the corners of his mouth raised, as if the world was brightened, and he said loudly:
"I am very pleased that all the soldiers have returned victoriously. Lord Zhao, you should inform the whole territory of Dayu of this great victory and let them congratulate us, the State of Yu!"
Congratulations to the State of Yu!
At this moment, everyone outside the palace gate was shocked, and the military officials such as the Minister of War and Deputy Privy Councilor who followed him out were stunned again.
They confirmed that there were almost no people from the Fifth Army Camp in the team, and Zhao Duan's words undoubtedly confirmed that the battle was fought by the Shenji Camp to defeat the bandits.
It is impossible to openly deceive the emperor on such a major matter.
and so……
This is real?
How did Zhao Duan, an "outsider", return victorious after only taking a tour? How did he do it? Countless mysteries came to mind, making the group anxious and eager to find out the truth immediately.
When they felt the empress's gaze, their old faces began to feel burning pain again.
Thinking about their repeated advice over the past few days and the request just now, he wished he could dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it.
Fortunately, Xu Zhenguan had no intention of making things difficult for them. He just glanced at them and turned back to Zhao Duan:
"Today is a double celebration. Zhao Qing, who's back?"
Zhao Duan also noticed a group of familiar faces in the team beside the empress.
Mo Chou looked at him with resentment.
The old supervisor Sun Lianying had a friendly smile.
Ning Zechen looked admiring and secretly gave a thumbs up.
Eunuch Hai stood behind the crowd with a smile on his face, not conspicuous.
Ma Yan glanced at the group of people in Lihua Hall behind him and gave them an encouraging look.
The elite members of the Lihua Hall, led by Hou Renmeng, and Lang Shiba and Ji Yue, who were hiding in the back, stepped forward and said respectfully:
"Congratulations, sir, on your triumphant return!"
I’m back… I’m all back… Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, and a sincere smile appeared on his face:
"Okay, okay, everyone return safely, we will gather in the capital again, good times will come after bad times, good times will come after bad times!"
After the battle between the two states, everyone fled, and now most of the people we knew are still alive and well. This could not be a better outcome.
"Don't just stand there. Follow me into the palace. I have sent people to invite the Grand Tutor and others. Zhao Qing, you must tell me about this battle." Xu Zhenguan was in a good mood and spoke with a smile.
Order everyone to enter the palace.
He wanted Zhao Duan to show off, to give himself face, and to respond to the doubts of the court officials in recent days. Humph, I told you not to believe it, now I have nothing to say, right?
……
……
Soon, in the side hall.
Everyone gathered together, even Grand Tutor Dong, Yuan Li, and the ministers of various ministries hurried into the palace.
The empress ordered her servants to move chairs for everyone. Dozens of people including the emperor and his ministers formed a circle and listened eagerly to Zhao Duan's solution to the puzzle.
My goodness, before it was a separate report between the emperor and his subjects, but this time it was turned into a public meeting... Zhenbao, you should have said so earlier, give me some time to write a speech...
Zhao Duan complained in his heart that in his previous life he wrote speeches for others, but in this life, it was his turn to give a report on stage.
Instead of being as nervous as expected, Zhao Duan sorted out his thoughts and spoke freely:
"We were able to achieve such a great victory in just one day, thanks to the new firearms of the Shenjiying Camp..."
He was neither hurried nor slow, and told how he had improved firearms last year. For the past year, the Shenjiying had kept secret from the news and had been making guns behind closed doors.
How he led his troops to arrive this time, just in time to meet Xu Zudi for peace talks, how he detained people and started a war, and how he bombarded the ground with artillery.
How can he lead his troops to capture the fleeing King Heng...
I told you the whole experience in its entirety, picking out the key points.
During the process, no one interrupted, including the empress, who listened attentively.
"This is roughly how the battle went. I thought that the court had won a great victory and should report it in time to stabilize the people's hearts, so I escorted Prince Heng and others back first." Zhao Duan concluded calmly:
"Therefore, it should be considered a surprise victory. After this battle, the news cannot be concealed. The next time the Shenji Battalion is deployed, the rebels will be prepared and it will be difficult to replicate it."
Is this really the case…After the new firearms are put into use, they are so powerful?
The Deputy Privy Councilor, the Minister of War and others suddenly realized what was going on, and felt better after hearing what Zhao Duan said.
A surprise victory is difficult to replicate...Grand Tutor Dong and other civil officials nodded, not too disappointed - if it could really be replicated, using firearms to defeat all rebels, that would be too good to be true and unrealistic.
Next time, the enemy will be prepared, and even if firearms are still effective, their effectiveness will be greatly reduced.
Especially, under the premise that the combat effectiveness of the rebels such as Prince Jing and Prince Mu is far higher than that of Prince Heng.
"Although it was surprising to raise troops for a thousand days and deploy them for a single day, it was not accidental that they were able to win. In the final analysis, it was because Your Majesty prepared for a rainy day and spent money to recuperate despite the opposition of many people, and because Zhao Shaobao improved the firearms, and the entire Shenji Battalion worked together, that we were able to achieve an unprecedented victory in destroying the enemy on this day."
The octogenarian Grand Tutor Dong, wearing the robes of a university scholar, summarized loudly, and the other ministers echoed him:
"This battle will make us proud and the news should spread all over the world immediately. When the rebels learn of this, everyone will be in danger and their morale will be dampened."
"That's right, Young Master Zhao, a quick battle is crucial at this moment. Once this news comes out, everyone in the world will know how powerful our imperial army is."
"Zhao Shaobao has made great contributions and should be commended. Shenjiying has made great contributions and should be rewarded."
There was endless praise.
Xu Zhenguan smiled and nodded:
"You are right. Pass the order down. First, arrest the rebels including Prince Heng. The soldiers of the Shenji Camp have worked hard. Let them go back to the camp to rest. The Ministry of War will reward them. The Ministry of Rites will draft a commendation. At the same time, inform all places of the good news of the great victory."
Everyone stood up: "Your Majesty is wise!"
The meeting ended and the ministers left one after another.
"Mr. Zhao, follow me." The empress threw a word to Zhao Duan, took lotus steps, and walked towards the imperial study.
The public meeting was over, and next was the closed-door meeting... Zhao Duan nodded happily. The previous report only mentioned the main experiences. There were still many details that needed to be discussed with Zhenbao alone.
Mo Chou was about to take a step forward to catch up, but was stopped by Sun Lianying: "What are you doing?"
"Your Majesty and I are inseparable." Mo Chou said stubbornly.
Sun Lianying said calmly: "Unless you want to be a bed-warming maid."
Mo Chou's expression froze.
Sun Lianying covered his mouth and suddenly coughed - traveling all the way was too tiring for him.
……
……
Royal study room.
Zhao Duan stepped over the threshold and closed the door, leaving only the king and his minister in the room.
And the green smoke from the incense burner curling in the air.
Xu Zhenguan walked briskly, personally pulled a chair over, and raised the corner of his mouth: "Meritorious official, please sit down."
Zhao Duan was flattered and sat down with a smile:
"Throughout history, there have been many cases where a monarch has given his subjects seats, but there have been only a few cases where a monarch has provided his subjects with a stool."
I told you you were fat, and you're out of breath... Xu Zhenguan rolled his eyes, but he was in a rare good mood and didn't bother to argue with him.
Yingying turned around and sat down behind Huang Chou's desk. She once again looked him up and down carefully and said, "Are you not hurt?"
"No." Zhao Duan said nonchalantly, "Who is your husband? How can he..."
The empress sneered: "So strong? Why don't you fight with me for a few moves and see how much your cultivation has improved?"
Zhao Duan's expression froze, he smiled awkwardly, and quickly restrained his proud and ostentatious attitude, put his legs together, straightened his back, and played a [well-behaved]
What a joke. Fighting with a celestial being, unless it happens in bed, wouldn't that be courting death?
Oh, considering that dual cultivation will automatically drain him, it seems that bed is also a death wish...
Men are so difficult.
The empress looked at him, now obedient again, and snorted, her brows relaxed. "Prince Heng is not easy to catch, right? After you left, I got the news that he has a charm in his hand, called the Red Flame Sacred Armor..."
You know? You still want to show off... Zhao Du'an felt bored. He reached into his arms, took out the scroll of the Great Illusion, and shook it gently.
An old half-body armor with a red color and a black human face pattern on the chest fell to the ground.
"I was just about to present it to Your Majesty. This thing is quite powerful. King Heng has mediocre cultivation, but he can drive this thing and suppress the worldly realm. It is simply unreasonable. I don't know why it is so powerful. I tried to use it, but I was far inferior to him." Zhao Duan said.
Although he had heard the name of this thing, he didn't know the specific details.
On the way back, he also tried to explore it, but as a warrior, he knew nothing about this kind of magical tool.
As for asking Pei Niannu... the female sorceress ignored him. Although Zhao Duan could forcibly summon her to fight, he could not force her to speak.
"Not surprising, you'll understand after you read this." Xu Zhenguan took out a book from his sleeve and handed it to him.
What is this... Zhao Duan took it with both hands and found that the cover of the book was written with "Zoroastrianism Records". He opened it and saw that the first part was about the overview of the underworld organization "Zoroastrianism" six hundred years ago.
Xu Zhenguan explained:
"The special thing about this charm is that it can melt other magical instruments of no higher rank than it, even weapons, rare treasures, iron and stone... The more you smash into it, the more powerful the magic power accumulated inside it will be.
The reason why King Heng fought with you with such great power was that he consumed the huge amount of mana he had accumulated in the past. Now that he has consumed it this time, there is not much mana left in this armor. You will naturally be inferior if you use it."
So the battery was exhausted, which is quite consistent with the law of conservation of energy... Zhao Duan felt that the practice in this world was quite "scientific".
Then Xu Zhenguan laughed and said:
"If you master the Black Turtle Seal and take this with you, the combination of water and fire, and activating the two gods of water and fire at the same time, it may have miraculous effects. I will give it to you."
It's useless to give it to me. It's already very strenuous for me to support Pei Niannu... Zhao Duan was about to complain, but when he met Xu Zhenguan's eyes, he suddenly understood something:
"Your Majesty, are you saying that I can also feed it? In this way, during the battle, the armor can consume its own mana to maintain itself, without me having to supply it?"
Zhao Duan was shocked by this idea.
If the idea comes true, when encountering a strong enemy in the future, Zhao Duan himself will be a martial artist in the world, and then use Pei Niannu's hand to control the Black Turtle Seal and control the Water God.
If he borrows the Scarlet Flame Holy Armor and controls the God of Fire without any consumption, isn't that equivalent to the three worlds joining forces?
Moreover, Zhao Duan also has the resources to feed this armor - when he was in Baihua Village, he collected a bunch of magic weapons from the cave of Guhuo Zhenren. After a battle, the empress killed a large group of pursuers and seized a large number of magic weapons.
He had no place to use it in his hand, so wouldn't it be perfect if he used it to feed the Red Flame Holy Armor?
"Ton..." Zhao Duan swallowed his saliva, looked at the armor with a burning gaze, stretched out his hand to put it away, and smiled playfully:
"Then I will be disrespectful to refuse it."
Xu Zhenguan smiled and said:
"At the back of the book in your hand, there is a detailed method for feeding and smelting. Go back and figure it out on your own."
After this topic was brought up, Zhao Duan thought of something else and took the initiative to say, "By the way, I have something else to present to Your Majesty."
"Oh? What is it?"
"The head of the Xiao family in Donghu, Xiao Dong'er."
Is it her? The empress raised her eyebrows and her eyes changed.
……
ps: I will resume the update of 5,000 words first, and then slowly speed up. In addition, I want to laugh when I think of the next plot about the empress being jealous.
(End of this chapter)